


And the Stars Aligned

by quicksilverfinnpoe (quicksilvermalec)



Category: Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Genre: Angst, Canon Temporary Character Death, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Force Bond, Resurrection, Rise of Skywalker Spoilers, enjoy, hints of Finn/Poe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21980338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksilvermalec/pseuds/quicksilverfinnpoe
Summary: Even broken, bloody, battered like this… she’s beautiful.orIn which Ben has one very important thing to set right.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	And the Stars Aligned

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hocuspocusalex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hocuspocusalex/gifts).



> TROS ENDING? IDK HER
> 
> Okay but seriously tho Ben never died. Fight me.
> 
> Enjoy.

He climbs out of the hole. His whole body is weak, his arms, his legs… he’s dying, and he knows it. But he clambers out of the hole Palpatine tossed him into and he sees her, and nothing else matters. He has to save her.

He limps a short distance and collapses to the ground, braces himself on whatever’s near him. After a moment he catches his breath, forces himself to his feet, and keeps going.

He rolls her over, he looks at her face. Even broken, bloody, battered like this… she’s beautiful. He shifts her into his arms and pulls her against his chest, protected in his embrace. He nearly sobs into her shoulder before he remembers what she did to him on the old Death Star.

His breaths are very shaky now, he feels cold and his body is sweaty, but he puts a hand on her stomach and braces her neck with the other, holding her up, keeping her safe. He takes a few deep, calming breaths and then he just _pushes_. His Force power flows through his body and into her, wrapping itself around her essence and carefully pulling her back to the world of the living. He can _feel_ her, so near, so present. She hasn’t quite left him yet, she just needs him to drag her back into her body.

And he does. He finds her and he pulls her back, but he’s still not sure it’s worked until he feels her hand come up to cover his own. And he almost laughs in relief then because she’s okay, she’s alive.

She sits up, looks at him, her brown eyes shining so brightly with the Light of her unbridled _goodness_ , radiating out of her from every pore. He knows if anyone were to bring him back, it would be her. She places her hand on the side of his face and he thinks _I haven’t earned this_ but he doesn’t say it because she’s right there, holding him, looking at him like he’s the greatest thing she’s ever seen, and he wants to have it. And he’s selfish.

“Ben,” she gasps out, and he can feel through their bond and see in her eyes that she knows he truly is Ben. Kylo Ren no longer exists because Kylo Ren no longer had anything to exist for. Rey gave Ben Solo a reason to exist again. Her smile splits her face, and he barely has time to smile back before she lunges forward and kisses him, and hand on each of his cheeks, and he doesn’t need anything else ever, just her, here, with him. He kisses back softly, knowing he doesn’t have very much in him.

When she finally pulls back, he tightens his grip on her shoulder, not wanting her to walk away from him. Her unspoken words thrum through their bond – _I won’t_. He presses his forehead against hers and feels his lips twitch into a smile, and suddenly that smile becomes a grin. It’s all teeth and closed eyes and he realizes that for the first time… for the first time in almost a decade, definitely for the first time since he left Luke… he believes again. He feels truly, genuinely happy, and he believes that he can have more.

“Rey,” he whispers in response before collapsing to the side. She catches him.

“It’s okay,” she tells him quietly, taking both of his hands in both of her own and holding them to her mouth a moment before she moves them to her lower back. “It’s going to be okay, Ben. I promise you.” She takes her own hands and puts one on Ben’s stomach – he keeps getting stabbed there – and the other on his shoulder. And she pushes back. He keeps pushing into her, on instinct, and she keeps pushing back into him.

They form a cycle, an unbreakable chain. He supplies her with the power she needs to keep him alive and she does it, hold him, makes sure he keeps awake.

When she’s done, they both fall onto the floor, but this time they’re not facing opposite directions. They sit, staring at each other, smiling for a long moment.

And then finally, he feels himself coming down from the rush of adrenaline. “I… I thought I lost you,” he whispers, and she shakes her head.

“Never,” she promises, in her beautiful lilting voice, and he presses his forehead to hers. “I promise never.”

He sighs, holds her closer, and whispers, “I’m so sorry. I never should have- I’m sorry.”

“You are forgiven,” she murmurs into the crook of his neck. “You are redeemed, Ben, and you are forgiven, and you are loved.”

His breath hitches and then he inhales deeply and tells her, “thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Come with me,” she begs. “Come back to the Resistance. They’ll… they’ll want you, they know you’re-“

“I can’t,” he tells her, cutting off whatever she was going to say he is. “I’ve- I’ve killed too many of them, I’ve hurt them, I can’t. I can’t go back there. And my mother-“

“She’s dead,” Rey whispers sympathetically, and he feels his eyes welling up. He feels very sharply the distinct lack of shame associated with it, as well, because the Dark Side told him crying was a weakness and the Light is telling him that it’s a strength.

“I know,” he replies. “That’s the problem. I can’t go back there and see her body…”

Rey pulls her head away, looks into his eyes, and says, “you don’t have to do anything. But I _want_ you there with me. I don’t know if I can lead the Resistance without you. Or if I’ll have to, I suppose. Finn and Poe seem to have it covered. But I don’t want to go back alone.”

Ben looks at her, this girl he loves and has always been ashamed of loving, and swallows hard. “Okay. I’ll come.”

She smiles and stands, taking his hand, and leads him back toward the transport she arrived on. He follows her willingly, and for a brief time, their problems no longer exist.

For the first time in a long, long time, Ben Solo feels hope.

**Author's Note:**

> *sobs forever* please kudos and comment *hic* i love you guys *cry*
> 
> Love,  
> -Fake Dean


End file.
